Be At Peace…

My sister, Verna Higdon, passed away yesterday morning and this is the first time that I have had a moment to sit down and try to process and put into perspective what these past couple of years has meant. Those of you who know me, know about my sisters illness and the devastating affect that it had on her life. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain, suffering, loneliness, despair and indignities that she has quietly endured. Unlike me, she hasn’t complained at all and has endured this hardship with great perseverance. Yesterday morning, she lost the battle with her illness but won the final victory, Thanks be to God!

So this morning as I take a short break from the “busyness” of funeral arrangements, phone calls, insurance and personal matters, as well as the normal preparations for Sunday, (Sunday morning will arrive whether I am ready or not, and this Sunday comes an extra hour early so don’t forget to set your clocks ahead.) I thought I would take a moment just to remember what my sister meant to me and my family.

First of all, even though we always got along well, we were two totally different people. If she said something was black, I would be certain that it was white, if she thought we should turn to the left, I would be equally assured that we should turn right… and so goes the inner working of the relationship between an older sister and her little brother.

There is also no doubt that we had a totally different sense of humor. I remember one time that Mom and Dad took us fishing along the Wisconsin River. As we were getting ready to leave and were packing up all of our fishing paraphernalia, Verna slipped down the bank and landed in the river. Of course I started laughing immediately, which Verna thought was a terrible offense. She started crying and told me to stop laughing, which made me laugh even harder (I know I’m a sick puppy) That made her really mad and she yelled even louder, “STOP LAUGHING AT ME” all the while she kept trying to get out of the 10 inch deep mud along the river bank (without any success.)

When she slipped again and fell on her knees in the river, all the while continuing to yell at me to stop laughing, Mom could no longer contain herself and she also started laughing (it really was a funny sight.) Finally, (after she quite laughing) Mom told me to shut up and help Verna get out of the river. Verna finally just shook her head, realized that there was nothing she could do about her obnoxious brother and certainly not wanting any help from me, pulled herself out of the water and up the river bank.

I think, in a way, this past couple of years has been a similar experience for my sister and I. However, instead of laughing, this time I was constantly trying to coax, persuade and prod her along (which I think that she may have found equally obnoxious and irritating). Unfortunately, this time Mom wasn’t there to fix things and Verna wasn’t able to get up and pull herself out. The effects of the illness were too great to overcome and it just wasn’t meant to be.

I thank God for my sister, and for her generosity and warm spirit. I also thank God for the part of her that continues to live in each of us who knew her and loved her.

Be at peace Verna… say hi to Mom and Dad and Phillip for me and I will see you when I get there…